Steam-trap



F B. JONES.

STEAM TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-22, 1919.

Patented May 25, 1920.

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT O FFICE.

FRANK IB. JONES, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-TRAP.

T 0 all whomit may concern Be it known that I, FRANK B. JONES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in steam traps intended, more especially, for the radiators of car heating systems, and it consists in the novel features, structure and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed'out inthe claims.

The object of my invention is to produce a steam trap of high eificiency and of simple and durable construction.

In practice, the steam trap of my invention is applied to the lower pipe of a radiator and its purpose is to permit water of condensation and the like to drain from the radiator, as occasion may require, and to automatically close the outlet from the radiator when the latter, due to the steam entering the radiator, has attained a suflicient degree of heat. The steam trapof my invention embraces a valve and a thermostatic element which, when in'a state of vcontraction, will permit said valve to open. and the water to drain from the radiator and which when a sufficient degree of heat has been attained will by its expansion close said valve and maintain the same in closed position until another situation arises in which it may be desirable to drain the radiator.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a steam trap constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same taken from the left hand end of Fig. 1; i Fig. 3 is a sectional view, partly broke away, of the thermally expansive element constituting a portion of the, trap, and

Fig. at is a detail view showing a portion of a radiator and steam pipe lines, with the steam trap of my invention illustrated in position in connection with the radiator, a portion of the. car flooring being indicated in section. 1 7

In the drawings,10 designates the body or main casing of the trap, which casinghas an internally threaded branch 11 and is internally threaded at its outer end, as at 12,

Specification of Letters Patent.

and externally and internally threaded at its inner end, as'at 13, 1 1, respectively. The body of the casing 10 is of general cylindrical outline and in the lower portion of its interior has a downwardly converging floor surface 15 which extends partly over and leads into the branch 11, to which is connected a drain pipe 16, which normally will be an inch pipe and about seveninches long and receive at its lower enda reducer or coupling 1'7 located at the upper end of a main drain pipe 18 which preferably will be a two inch pipe and ordinarily about twelve inches long, although I do not limit my invention to the proportions of the pipes 16, 18, since said proportions may vary to suit such conditions as may be met in practice.

The internally threaded inner end of the body casing 10 has screwed into it a plug 19 which contains an interior chamber 20 and a polygonal outer head 21 adapted to receive a wrench. The plug 19 when screwed into the innerzend of the casing 10, may bekeyed or locked therein by means of a plate 22 and screw 28, said plate having a lower edge to engage the head 21 of the plug and an upper end adapted to a recess or groove 2e formed in the end of the casing 10, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. It is desirable that the plug 19 be secured in fixed position, and the means I have referred to permit the accomplishment of this result. The head 21 is less in diameter than the main body of the plug 19, and hence may enter ,thelower pipe 25 or its coupling 26 ofthe radiator. The plug 19 is formed with a through passage 27 leading into the interior of the easing 10, and at its inner end said plug has pivotally secured to its upper portion a valve 28 adapted to swing on the arc of a circle and carrying a packing -29 to engage a valve seat 30 formed about, the inner end of the passage 27, said packing being preferably secured to the lower portion of the swinging valve 28 by means of a screw 31. Normally the valve 28 will hang downwardly with its packing 29 against the valve-seat 30, but in the present instance I make use of a spring 32 whose tendency is to move the valve 28 and its packing 29 inwardly from the valve seat 80. The spring 32 is contained within the chamber 20 of the plug 19 and is mounted upon a threaded rod screwed into the head 21 and engages the Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed September 22, 1919. Serial No. 325,440.

inner face of the valve .28. The spring 32 acts to move the valve 28 and its packing 29 in a direction from the. seat 30, butv in this regard the spring. 32 is controlled by the thermostatic element 34 having at its inner end an internally threaded head 35 p which is, in predetermined relation to the outer face of the valve 28. V

- The head 35 is in the form of an internally threaded sleeve and is screwed upon and pinned to a threaded stud 36 carried by the head 37 which is rigidly secured, to the inner end of the thermostat 34. The

thermostat 34 extends longitudinally of the,

casing 10 and has secured to its outer end a head 38 formed with an internallyv threaded socket 39 within which is screwed and Qpinned'the reduced threaded end 40 of a main spindle 41 whose outer end is furnished with a suitable handle 42.

Vithinthe outer end of the casing 10 is screwed a bonnet 43 which is formed at its. outer end with an annular flange 44 and a reduced externally threaded gland member 45 upon which is screwed a cap-nut 46, which constitutes the other gland member and confines the packing between itself and the member 45 and around the spindle 41 as shown in Fig. 1.

The spindle 41 has two spiral threads numbered 47, 48, respectively, and the interiorof the neck of the bonnet 43 is threaded to engage the aforesaid thread 47, which will usually be a substantially square thread with about seventurns or convolutions to an inch. Upon the threaded portion 48 of the spindle 41 is screwed a cap frame 49 whoseinner edge 50 engages the annular flange 44 on the bonnet 48. 'Upon the spindle 41 and engaging the outer end of the frame 49 I' provide a jam-nut 50 for;

7 locking the spindle 41 in fixed position.

expansion.

In assembling the parts of my steam trap I necessarily secure the thermostat 34 in redetermined relation to the, valve28, so tiat said valve may open when water and air are to escape from the radiator through the passage 27 and be closed when steam enters the casing 10 by the expansion of the thermostat 84. In adjusting the relation of thethermostat 34 with the valve 28 I make use of the thread 47 on the spindle .41 and thereafter I lock the thermostat in,

should any occasion arise necessitating an examination or repair of the valve 28. The flooring 15. in the easingclO serves to direct the water of condensation into the drain pipe 16, and said flooring extends over the edges of the upper end of the drain pipe so 'as to direct, the water directly into said pipe on a line inwardly from the joint between the pipe 16 and branch 11.

What I claim as m invention and desire to secure byLettersateint, is;

1... A steaintrap comprising a ma sing to be'connected with a radiator and a drain pipe, a plug screwed into theinner end of said casing and having a through passage at its lower Side and a valve hinged at its upper end and carrying packing adaptedto close said passage, and a thermostat within said casing adapted when in its expanded state to. maintain said valve closed- 2. A steam trapcomprisinga main casing to be connected with a radiator and'a drain pipe, a plug fastened within the inner end of, Said casing and having an exposed poly onal head, a through ,assa 'e at its lower side and a valve hingecrto the nner end of i said plug and adapted to close said passage, and a thermostat wi hin said casing adapted, when in its expanded state, to maintain said valve closed. V

3. A steam trap comprising a main casing to be connectedv with a radiator and a drain pipe, a plug screwed into the inner end of said casing and having a through passage atits lower side and a valve hinged at its upper end andadapted toclose said passage, means for locking said plug. when n position against rotary ovemen and a t ermostat Withinsa id casingv adapted, when in its expanded state, to maintain said valve closed.

4. A. steam trap comprising a main casing to be connected withia radiator and a d ai pipe, a. p ug fastenedwithin the inne en of said casingandhaving a through passageat its lower side, an interior chamber and a valve hinged at its upper end and adapted to close' saidpassage, a spring within said chamber normally. acting to open said valve,

and a thermostat within saidicasing adapted, when in. its expanded said valve closed, 7

5. A steam trap comprising a maincasing to be connected with aradiator and a drain pipe and having an inlet passage at. its, in- 1 0 nerend, a valve within said casing for con trolling the jpassagethereinto from the radiator, a thermostat of the diaphragm type within said casing having at its inner end a V threaded stem; and an internally threaded head thereon adapted on the expansion of state, to maintain the thermostat to close said valve, means for adjusting said thermostat with relation to the valve, and means for locking the thermostat in its adjusted position.

6. A steam trap comprising a main casing to be connected with a radiator and a drain pipe and having an inlet at its inner end and an internally threaded bonnet at its outer end, a valve within said casing for controlling the passage thereinto from the radiator, a thermostat of the diaphragm type in said casing having at its inner end a head adapted on the expansion of the thermostat to close said valve, a spindle connected with the outer end of said thermostat and threaded to engage the thread in said bonnet and also being threaded at its outer end, and threaded means on the outer threaded end of said spindle for locking said spindle againstv rotation after the thermostat has been adjusted with relation to said valve.

7. A steam trap comprising a main casing to be connected with a radiator and a drain pipe and having an inlet at its inner end and an internally threaded bonnet at its outer end, a valve within said casing for controlling the passage thereinto from the radiator, a thermostat of the diaphragm type in said casing having at its inner end a head adapted on the expansion of the thermostat to close said valve, a spindle connected with the outer end of said thermostat and threaded to engage the thread in said bonnet and also being threaded at its outer end, and threaded means on the outer threaded end of said spindle for locking said spindle against rotation after the thermostat has been adjusted with relation to said valve, saidbonnet having at its outer end an annular flange, and said means on the outer end of said spindle for locking the same comprising a frame threaded to engage the thread on said spindle and at its inner edge being adapted to seat against said flange and a jam nut on said spindle at the outer end of said frame.

8. A steam trap comprising a main casing to be connected with a radiator and a drain pipe and having at its inner end an inlet and a valve therefor, a thermostat in said casing adapted on the expansion of the ther mostat to close said valve, and means for adjusting the relation of the thermostat and valve, said casing having an integral branch for connection with the drain pipe and a downwardly converging inner flooring extending inwardly over the bore of said branch and adapted to drain the water directly into said pipe inwardly beyond the joint between the pipe and the branch.

Signed at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, this 19 day of Sept, A. D. 1919.

FRANK B. JONES. Witnesses J. P. WooLLEY, H. W. IsnNBnRe. 

